Folding box



March 2, 1943. w. TROGMAN 2 312,507

FOLDING BOX Filed March 6, 1939 Wtlh'azn Tm man/ F I 5 V .1 ENTOR.

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Patented Mar. 2, 1943 UNlTED STATES ieiTENT ()FFIQE FOLDING BOX William Trogman, Chicago, 111.

Assume-on March '6, 1939, Serial No. 260,037 1 Claim. (01. 1229-52) This invention relates to a folding box and has as its principal object the provision of a device of this class which is made frorna unitary blank of cardboard or analogous material so formed that it may be folded up from a substantially flat condition to provide a box of truncated pyramidal shape. g

Another a jec is th r v si n Q afoldi e b f the yp c ib and whic nclud n lcckingtab formations adapted to secure the box in erected condition and facilitate opening and closing of the box. 7

Another object is the provis ion of a box which is folded up from a unitary blank in the form of a truncated pyramid the truncated side portions of w h c m e he t f h boxan a provided with flaps adapted to interlock with adjoining Wall portions to secure v the box in closed and assembledcondition. the truncated top portion of the box including a handle which is slipped into place from within the box and which is prevented from moving back into the box by a special tongue formation in the truncated top portion.

Other objects, advantages, economies and novel aspects of the improved box structure reside in certain details of construction and the arrangement of parts hereinafter described in view of the annexed drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the completed box ready for use;

Fig. 1A is a perspective detail of the handle;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the box in partly unfolded condition;

Fig. 3 is a sectionalized perspective view of the box in partly collapsed condition looking in the direction of line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the box in wholly collapsed condition; while Fig. 5 is a plan view of the box blank in wholly unfolded condition.

The novel box is especially suited for use as a hat box and is of novel construction and appearance as depicted in Fig. 1. The box is in the form of a truncated pyramid having a square base I flanked by trapezoidal side walls II certain of which side walls Ila and Nb (Fig. have flaps I2 and I3 respectively which fold over to provide the truncated top portion I3a of Fig. 1, side wall I lb and its opposite side II c having, in addition, the tongues or flaps I4 which fit in between the adjoining trapezoidal members II and I Ia when the box is erected.

In a preferred method of construction, a blank such as shown in Fig. 5 is cut from cardboard or analogous material by the usual stamping methods, this blank including the central bottom square ID with its adjoining trapezoidal side flaps and the defining fold crimps I6 arranged as shown. When the boxis formed up from such a blank, the free edge I2a on the flap I2 is joined to the truncated edge I5 of the trapezoidal flap II by means such as the adhesive hinge strip I1 (Figs. 1 and 2 also). In this condition, the partly formed blank may be erected to define the box of Figs. 1 and 2, or it may be collapsed into the condition. shown in Fig. 4; g

In order to secure the box in erected condition for use as such, the other top flap I3 is, provided with an outwardly extending flap I8 which constitutes a locking tongue, this tongue having a smaller outwardly extending tab I9 which is adapted to fit into a slot 20 inthe side IIc. A semicircular cut 2| in the tongue I8 provides a' second locking tongue ZZ which is flexed outwardly of the tongue it for engagement in another slot 23 in the side Wall I in. A small handling tab 24 is cut at the fold line along the juncture between the latching tab I9 and the remainder of the tongue I8 and which may be grasped in manipulating the two latching tongues I9 and 22 for insertion in slots 20 and 23.

On the top edge of the side-forming wing IIc a small handling tab 26 is provided for engagement to facilitate the folding of this side of the box into and out of erected condition, this tab folding over onto the top wall I2 beneath the top flap I3 when the box is in the condition seen in Fig. 1.

Handle means for the box includes the provision of an elongated slot 21 in the top-forming flap I2 and a wide handle-shaped slot 28 in the top-forming extension or tongue I3, there being a tongue 29 in the latter which overlies the slot 21 and which is effective to prevent the bight portion of a U-shaped wire handle 30 from passing down into the box from its carrying condition shown in Fig. 1. The narrow slit 2'! is preferably cut with at least one tongue or tooth projecting across the long axis thereof into the complementary cut portion at the opposite side of the slit (Fig. 5), the purpose of this being to provide one or more small tabs 21b which will prevent the bight of the handle from passing back into the box accidentally, the teeth or tabs 21b yielding to permit passage of the handle into and out of the slit under force. The handle has its opposite free end portions 3| bent laterally for stopping engagement with the under side of the top portion I2 when the bight is inserted through the elongated slot 21.

It is also important to observe that the junctures between the lateral extensions 3| and the remainder of the handle 30 are oifset as at 32 at right angles so that the handle will more conveniently fold back from its upright position of Fig. 1 into a recumbent position substantially within the handle-shaped slot 28 so that the top portion l3a may be readily folded into open and closed positions particularly with respect to the insertion of the tongue 29 beneath the bight of the handle. the handle, and the opposite ends of the slot are enlarged as at 21a to accommodate the parallel arm portions of the handle and further facilitate the rocking movement of the handle from recumbent'to upright position. In inserting and removing the handle from the top flap l2, the bight portion is gently forced into the constricted or narrow slot and prevented from dropping out by the close confrontation of the opposite longitudinal sides of the slot so that ordinarily there is no danger of the handle dropping down into the box during manipulation or folding of the cover part I3a thereof. The utility of the blocking tongue 29 is concerned with preventing the handle from being positively pushed back into the box through careless or rough handling or when the slot 21 has become slightly enlarged as a result of repeated use.

Once the box has been erected and the hinge strip I! applied, it may be folded into the condition illustrated in Fig. 4 for purposes of storage or portability, the wall portion ll being pressed back toward the opposite wall portion Ila and the bottom ID, the handle folding back closely against the top portion 12 due to the offsets 32 between the lateral andparallel arm portions thereof. As a result of this folding feature, merchants may prepare a plurality of the boxes beforehand and store the same in a considerably smaller space than would be required for a cor- The slot 2'1 is preferably narrower than responding number of the usual type of hat box.

It will be obvious that when one of the prepared boxes is needed, it may be quickly extended from the condition of Fig. 4 into the assembled or erected condition of Fig. 1.

In addition to the fact that the box is stamped from a unitary blank of cardboard or other material to provide a blank which folds easily into box form, the invention provides a box which, once erected or assembled, may subsequently be collapsed into a compact form ready for instant use through the simple expediency of erecting the folded form. The interlocking tab feature facilitates the opening and closing of the box, and the enlarged handle-shaped slot formation 28 in the top, as Well as the offset structure 32 of the 'handle, greatly facilitate the manipulation of the 7 top and the blocking tongue 29 for the purpose aforesaid.

The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized by variations of the foregoing specifically described construction, and the invention is therefore intended to include all equivalent arrangements fairly coming within the scope of the appended claim. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

In a box, a handle structure including the provision of spaced openings in a wall of said box, and a U shaped handle element comprising a bight portion joining two parallel side portions and end portions ofiset from a plane struck' through said bight and side portions and extending laterally therefrom so as to lie in a plane parallel with a plane containing the bight portion of said handle element, the offset of said end portion permitting the handle element to be rocked substantially in a direction toward and away from said wall of the box in which the openings are formed. 1

WILLIAM TROGMAN. 

